C++ inventor Bjarne Stroustrup, Ph.D., Enigma machine expert Tom Perera,
Ph.D., and a panel discussion by computer historian Bill Degnan on the
40th anniversary of appliance computers featuring the Apple II,
Commodore PET 2001, and TRS-80 Model 1 will be the keynote sessions for
Vintage Computer Festival East XII, March 31-April 2, in Wall, New Jersey.
The event is produced by Vintage Computer Federation (www.vcfed.org), a
national user group devoted to enabling hobbyists and spreading
awareness of computer history. The Federation is a 501(c)3 non-profit.
Stroustrup (www.stroustrup.com), who developed the C++ programming
language at Bell Labs starting in 1978, will discuss "The Origins and
further Evolution of C++" on Saturday morning, April 1. He is currently
a visiting professor of computer science at Columbia University and a
managing director in the technology division at Morgan Stanley. His talk
is sure to be an excellent follow-up to C language author and pioneer
Brian Kernighan, who spoke at VCF East X in 2015.
Perera's company, EnigmaMuseum.com, is in the business of hunting for,
researching, restoring, and selling Enigma machines and related items.
His talk, "Inside the Enigma: The history, technology and deciphering of
an early laptop computer and the real story of the Imitation Game" will
be presented Friday, March 31 after lunch. The World War II German
Enigma was arguably an original form of laptop computer. This talk will
explain the history and technology of the Enigma and link it to the
movie "Imitation Game" which tells the story of the cracking of the
German Navy Enigma code and the extraordinary contributions of
mathematician Alan Turing to this endeavor. In order to keep the
audience interested and involved, the movie has allowed some
inaccuracies and omissions in the history and technology and in the
masterful portrayal of the eccentric mathematician Alan Turing by
Benedict Cumberbatch. This talk will trace the actual story of the
Enigma and the cracking of the Enigma Code and attempt to fill in some
of the Enigmatic aspects of Alan Turing's personality. Perera will also
give a more technical demonstration of how the machines work and a
real-time disassembly of an Enigma in a separate session that day. He
will give further demonstrations and will offer for sale his Enigmas,
Enigma simulators, other historic cipher machines, books, Enigma Library
CD-ROM, and related items on Saturday and Sunday. Perera was formerly a
professor of neuroscience at Columbia University, Barnard College, and
Montclair State University.
Degnan (www.vintagecomputer.net) is a co-founder of the Mid-Atlantic
chapter of Vintage Computer Federation, a professional programmer and
web developer, and formerly taught computer history at the University of
Delaware. At his panel, "1977: The year of the appliance computer"
you'll learn about the launch of the Apple II, Commodore PET 2001, and
Radio Shack TRS-80 Model 1. Bill will guide the discussion to explore
how the appliance computer facilitated the expansion of computers as an
appliance into small businesses, schools, and the home. Panelists will
be separated into three groups each representing the Apple, Commodore,
and Tandy/Radio Shack perspective. The panel will respond to questions
and share their knowledge and personal experiences. The discussion will
continue from 1977 through the milestones of 1980s 8-bit appliance and
home computing.
All three sessions will be 90 minutes which includes audience Q&A.
Further details will be shared as the event nears.
